Earlier this year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) published the proposed Meaningful Use (MU) Stage 3. The industry is currently waiting for publication of a final rule. In the meantime, everyone seems to be contemplating potential HIM implications of this new phase of MU. MU Stage …

Skills For Medical Release Of Information Specialists Today’s medical release of information (ROI) specialists wear many hats and must possess many skills. At a very high level, ROI specialists must be highly proficient in medical terminology and the specific components of an electronic health record (EHR). They must also be able to perform data entry as well as navigate through …

Know Your Facility’s Release of Information Policy In today’s technology-driven healthcare environment, e-signatures are common, yet they also raise many questions in the world of release of information (ROI). How can ROI specialists verify a patient’s identity when patients sign electronically through a portal, for example? What about when patients sign on an electronic pad/device? Signatures oftentimes look nothing like …

In this quality-driven healthcare environment, hospital mergers are commonplace. Sometimes one or more hospitals merge directly. In other cases, hospitals merge together under one corporate umbrella that may include many other facilities. When these types of mergers occur, data integrity and information governance are critical. HIM professionals are often at the center of these changes, ensuring data accuracy and explaining …

Each of us has the power to change our lives as well as the lives of those around us. This is the theme of a recent article I read by Jeff Haden titled 19 Things Remarkable People Think Every Day. The article, which was published on Inc.com, includes a lot of salient points that are relevant to HIM professionals. My …

Technology empowers patients and consumers with easier access to their health records. The Blue Button Project is just one example, where patients can access their medical records electronically and share those records with health care professionals. But are patient portals where they need to be? Patient portals should provide… Information that is meaningful Easy access for patient review for data …

Mental health has always been considered highly sensitive information with added protection for release. However, the Privacy Rule recognizes that there are certain circumstances when it is necessary to share a patient’s mental health information for the purpose of treatment and the safety of the patient and/or others. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently released new …